THE MEDICINE SHOW: FOOD, SWEAT, AND FEARS

MUAY THAI GLOVES

 Medicine by my adulterated definition is the preparation used for the prevention of disease.  And Disease can be defined as a particular habit regarded as adversely affecting a person.  My essay today is about three medicines for life:  eating, exercising, and angst.  Hence my snappy title:  THE MEDICINE SHOW:  FOOD, SWEAT, AND FEARS. 

  

• FOOD

It is too easy to become addlepated when it comes to deciding what food is good for you.  Milk makes you fat -- milk makes you skinny.  Butter is bad -- butter is good.  Swiss chard is the new kale. Oftentimes food that is considered hot turns out to be not.  Here is the one tried and tasted rule:   

IF IT'S ACRID DON'T EAT IT; IF IT SMELLS FINE IT'S OKAY TO DINE. 
 (Neil Child 2016) 

If you consider food as medicine, then everything you eat will be either good medicine or bad medicine.  What you put into your mouth is always (usually always) your choice.

  

 Here are the latest best five foods that are hot, hot, hot for your well-being:

-Fish (salmon and sardines)

-Grains (barley and beans)

-Protein (chicken and eggs … doesn’t matter which one you eat first, pun intended)

-Greens (Popeye spinach and broccoli)

-Yogurt

NEVER EAT ANYTHING BIGGER THAN YOUR HEAD. (Kliban, 1976)

• SWEAT

All medicos agree that exercise is very, very healthy.  Even mugwumps will agree that exercise is good body medicine.

Weight training is great but if that’s all you do for fitness, you are really a Cadillac with no engine.  And your engine needs to sweat through some kind of aerobic activity (running for example).

 

Aerobic activity

-reduces blood pressure

-reduces body fat

-strengthens bones

-builds muscle

-improves sex life

 SWEAT EVERY DAY!

AEROBIC EXERCISE IS MIRACLE-GRO FOR THE BRAIN.

(Christopher Bergland “The Athlete’s Way”).

• FEAR

What are YOU afraid of?  Are you afraid of the dark? Or are you afraid of the light?  Are you afraid of the things you don’t know or afraid of the things you do know?  Whatever fears you have, to rid any of them, you must first embrace them, and then simply work right through them.

Factoid:  Fear makes things bigger than what they really are.

Our fears keep us from doing things that we might otherwise get pleasure from. Stepping out of our comfort zones and taking chances takes courage.  Conquering fears opens new possibilities.  Overcoming frights frees us to discover things about ourselves.  Waiting for the right time to conquer one’s fear is … well … it is never the right time; so therefore, it is always the right time.

Exposing your fear is no fun, but neither is being imprisoned by your fear fun.  Short-term discomfort is the price one pays for life-long freedom from debilitating anxiety.

Memento to self:

IT IS NEVER THE RIGHT TIME TO CONQUER YOUR FEAR; SO THEREFORE, NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO CONQUER YOUR FEAR.

And what is the skinny of all this food, sweat, and fears?  Each of us has the power to re-write our lives at any time.  We cannot change our past but we can certainly change our personal present.

MIND YOUR MENU.  FIT IS PHAT.  FACE YOUR FEAR. 
(Neil Child 2016)

FOOD, SWEAT, and FEARS: These are the medicines that I (and a thousand others) prescribe for a sunny and exciting life!

In the end, it’s not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away – (shing xiong)

  

My CHAUCERIAN PARADE THIS WEEK ARE MY NEW FIGHT-MATES IN MUAY THAI -- YES BUSKING IS OVER AND MUAY THAI BEGINS ...

 

SO THERE!